On the Go with Toes and Broken Glass

I think I may have found someone busier than me. I met Annette Day at my daughter's free preschool program. Miss Annette is Monica's art teacher. I liked her at once because she reminded me of two of my best friends, M and J, all at once--with the short, pixie-cut stylish hair and hip outfits. Chatting one day, she said she set up Toes On The Go--her pedicure service, geared for anyone but mostly seniors. Her mom succumbed to cancer last year and she then been exposed to many seniors.

Divorced and orphaned by her mom in the same year, she tended to her 2 kids, did her pedicures, taught at the YMCA, does mosaic tables for the cafe downtown, and is part of the Brentwood Arts Commission. It's a wonder I pinned her down twice for an interview and pictorial.

"Everyone loves a pedicure," she said. "Everyone loves the reflexology with tons of lotion. And all those hot shades can really lift up your mood. I also like working with seniors, they are so wise and generous."

It's been almost 2 years since I had a proper manicure/pedicure, which I had almost weekly in Manila. And why not at $5 for both hands and feet? (versus Annette's $26 for the feet only!)

I ache for trim toenails and neat cuticles. And I salivate at the thought of a foot massage. At least, Annette's toes look nice all the time--zebra stripes, rhinestones, hot pink, polka-dots:



And I am here, taking a sneaky ceative break, blogging, while inputing data in an Excel sheeeeeet. . .

And then Annette is off to art classes with the tots. They have learned painting, colors, messing up, glitter, clay, and cutting and pasting--all in fun. Then she goes home and paints her kitchen cupboards red and her wall trims blue. Then she works on her mosaic--mirrors, tables, countertops.

"When you are artistic, it will eventually find a way out of you," she says. "I love, love, love mosaic."



What a privilege to be creative most of the time. Julia Cameron of the Artist's Way said that you are closest to your God when you are creating.

No matter how busy we are, Annette is a reminder that we must pursue our creative selves, otherwise we are not as full, not as deep, and maybe, not as happy.

I remember my cousins who wanted to be architects, or my son who wants to sing and act. May their creativity remain blessed.

Between my 2 jobs and my 5 kids, creativity takes a definite back seat. I am very worried that I have not crocheted in a week and that I have to grab my pints of paint from Home Depot soon. I am worried because I don't like to lose balance--I don't want too much work, too much money, with no time for play or for the small things. I guess that is why I have stayed away from a career or from a full-time job. And that's why maybe I may never be super rich. . .

My shelved projects await--I want to finish a chair into turquoise blue to match my turquoise elephant found at Target for $9.



Hope to get to it and post it soon!